


Never as Good as the Real Deal

by orphan_account



Category: Avengers Assemble (Cartoon), The Avengers - Ambiguous Fandom
Genre: Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Non-Graphic Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-22
Updated: 2019-01-22
Packaged: 2019-10-14 17:41:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,064
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17513009
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: In every universe Steve Rogers and Tony Stark seem to balance each other out. Like night and day, yin and yang. But what happens when someone  tips the balance. And when that someone happens to be a ruthless, version of the one  you love. Enter Captain Hydra.





	Never as Good as the Real Deal

**Author's Note:**

> Thus was actually originally to be to a HE community gift prompt.  
> Tell me if I'm tagging it wrong cause I don't know what I'm doing

Darkness. Pain. Confusion.

Tony comes to consciousness sluggishly, sore all over and incredibly weak; with the after rush of adrenaline still flowing through his veins. Thoughts are scattered drifting aimlessly, as if through a fog, leaving him only the vaguest recollection of what transpired to lead up to his current predicament. The only thing he is sure of is that he most definitely wasn't in his tower anymore. Or anywhere else he recognized for that matter. 

Sadly i this wasn't the first time he had woken up in some dark and gritty holding cell, and considering his luck, it probably wouldn't be the last time either. Such was the life of a world renowned super hero. 

It takes a bit of effort, but he eventually he manages to pull himself into a more upright sitting position. A few deep calming breaths later , and he is able to compose himself enough to attempt recollecting anything relevant that may have happened. It's a slow process however, and since time isn't exactly his friend right now, each and every second ticks by with agonizing slowness. Eventually his memory starts to come back to him ina kaleidoscope of colors and sounds. 

The day (and was this even the same day?) started routine enough. Another day, another bad guy, which the team had wrapped up without even breaking a sweat. He remembers getting lunch at a nearby diner. Only him and Steve, as a date of sorts. Until later on when he is pretty sure that he and Steve were bickering over something stupid .. 

Steve. Blonde, muscular, handsome. Team mate, friend, and even now he could hardly dare to think it...lover?

Tony's breath catches in his throat at the thought of the super solider, knowing that If things weren't so great for him they had to be bad for Steve as well. A hurried glance around the small and dimly lit cell reveals the soldier, sprawled on their side , silent and unmoving.

The logical part of his mind tells him that there was no need to hold a dead man in a cell, and that if he survived surely Steve would as well. The cynical, paranoid part of his mind also reminds him that most of criminals weren't exactly shining pillars of mental stability . Forcing himself to crawl till he is at the soldiers side, he places shaking fingers against other man's neck, desperately searching for a pulse.

And to his unparalleled relief finds one .

The pulse is sluggish, but steady, thrumming with the promise of life. Tony lets out a breath he didn't even realize he had been holding. 

"Rise and shine Cap, it's time to check out. " , he says cheerily, poking the man's face with an extended finger. No response. He tries a few more times, punctuating each attempt with another prod, "Hey, Cap? Cap! Steve! . "

Captain America is as still and silent as when he was frozen in ice. 

"Now is really not the time for you to sleep in. " Tony mutters under his breath, because even though he was practically paralyzed with worry a minutes ago, that worry is quickly starting to turn into irritation.. The engineer folds his arms, tapping his fingers impatiently, and waits another few minutes before deciding to give it one last go, " Steve Rogers!"

The inventor curses under his breath when that too fails to yield any results. Resigning himself to just wait it out, he stiffly gets to his feet in an attempt to better take in his surroundings. He paces back and forth , eyes wandering, calculating, as he takes in every detail of their surroundings. Damp stone walls? Check. Steel bars? Check. Disposable guard posted out of sight? Most likely. It was like practically every kidnapping scenario taken straight out of the villain's first handbook. Amateurish , clumsy, and to say he wasn't impressed was the understatement of the century. 

Still... It didn't mean their mystery captor wouldn't hesitate to pull punches. This wasn't his first performance, he knew the drill. And as unimpressed as he was, they weren't quite so stupid as to leave him his armor or anything else he could use to get out. A true pity.

A soft groan and shuffling sound signifies that the super solider is finally starting to enter the waking world. 

"About time you woke up, I was starting to wonder if I was going to have to break the spell with a kiss . " Tony comments in a bored tone ,having stopped pacing long enough to favor the soldier with a sardonic glance.

"What?" Steve groans, sitting up slowly, instinctively putting a hand to the side of head," Never mind. Wh..where are we? " there is a slight, but obvious slur in his words.

"No idea. Our host has yet to show their face... which is rather unprofessional if you ask me. " Tony is up and pacing again. He can't help it, the engineer was always a bundle of barely controlled energy, and their current situation only made it worse, "meanwhile I've been trying to think up a way to escape while you caught up on your beauty sleep. "

"You came up with a plan ?" Steve asks sounding intrigued. And more then a little doubtful. From past experiences, Tony and plans worked about as well as trying to put out a forest fire with a flamethrower. The Red Skull having a change of heart and becoming a model citizen was just as probable.

"Figured you'd be impressed " the genius goes on, either completely oblivious to, or purposely choosing to ignore the tone, " And I've concluded that sometimes the simplest course of action is the best course of action... . " 

Steve merely raises an eyebrow, remaining silent as he waits for the other man to continue.

"Okay, the first thing I need you to do is use those big muscly arms of yours and make us an exit. " he continues with a nod to the rusted prison cell door.,"after that we book it out of here and make our escape. "

"Do I look like the Hulk to you?" 

" Of course not. But those doors look pretty rusted to me... and besides it wasn't like you were help anyway. " Tony huffs, instinctively defensive.

"What about your armor and my shield ? I'm not leaving without it." Steve states in a tone that books no argument.

"We'll pick them up on our way out." 

"And pretending that we are able to even get out, what do you plan on doing when we run into the guards. I don't think anyone is stupid enough to leave us unguarded " 

The inventor shrugs, easily, nonchalantly "I figure we can make it up as we go along. " 

The solider, who still hasn't made a move to get up from the floor, briefly closes their eyes with an exasperated breath. He appears to mentally count to ten before answering, "Fine. It doesn't look like we have much of a choice either way. I'm sure the team is looking for us, but I'd rather not stick around any longer then we have to. "

" Glad you were able to see it my way. " Tony grins, the very picture of self satisfaction. 

Steve rolls his eyes, as he pushes himself to his feet. Or tries to. The soldier gets to an almost upright position before he starts to sway and is forced back to a sitting position in the floor. 

Tony glances at him with a frown slowly creeping its way across his face,  
"If you think I'm going to carry you, you can guess again. You're the muscle, I'm the brains remember? "

Steve doesn't respond. Doesn't move. He remains motionless as a statue, head buried in hands.

"You okay down there?", the engineer's frown deepens upon receiving no answer" ...Cap?"

"Feel.. off", the answer comes haltingly, voice sounding strained and oddly far away . 

"Off?" Tony repeats instantly serious, the concern he rarely lets show, easily slipping past his mask,"off how? Like.. 'there is some evil being trying to take over your mind "off or.. " he trails off, finding himself in one if those rare instances where he is at a loss for words. Steve might have even appreciated it, if the circumstances had been more ideal.

"Weak..my head." 

"They probably injected you with something when they ambushed us. Which means they must have a good idea of how the super soldier serum works and what it takes to subdue you.." he muses , talking mostly to himself, as he tries to put all the pieces together., " The last thing I remember we had just finished kicking Whirlwinds butt.. again. Then we were at the diner and you were being your usual no fun self, and....next thing I know we wake up here. " 

Back to square one.

The engineer feels like screaming in frustration, but instead settles for plopping down next to Steve and scowling at a nondescript spot in their prison cell. He doesn't know what vexes him more the lack of understanding or the awareness that he has no control over the situation.

Steve blows out a heavy sigh and pinches the bridge of his nose,  
"Any idea when these... drugs might wear off?" he asks after a prolonged period of silence. 

"Since I have no way of finding out what type of drug they injected you with.... I'm afraid not." Tony smiles ruefully, " Sorry Cap, it looks like the only thing we can do is wait it out. "

"I'm sure you'll think of something. "

"Your confidence is flattering , but unless I find a way to break down the door and carry you out of here it doesn't look like it's going to happen any time soon." The mental image of him carrying Steve without the help of his armor is about as unrealistic as it is laughable. Even dragging him would be a stretch.

Steve looks up, with a small lopsided smile pulling at the corner of his mouth," Come on now, it would be interesting . "

"Yeah? Well , not all of us are tall, overly muscled -" he breaks off as he hears the sound of voices and heavy footsteps approaching at a rapid clip," looks like we'll have to save it for another time. You want to take bets on who our host is ? "

"Going to have to pass on that." Steve says tightly, as he attempts to stand up once more. With support from Tony he manages to stay mostly upright by means of leaning heavily against the smaller man. It's awkward, and far from ideal, but it's the best they can do at the moment. 

And not a moment too soon.

They had barely scrambled to their feet before a small procession rounded the corner, consisting of four armed soldiers, as well as who is clearly a leader of sorts. And even though the pair had seen a lot over their adventures it still didn't quite prepare them for what currently stood in front of them, smirking maliciously with unconcealed triumph.

For Steve it was like looking in a mirror, as if his reflection had simply stepped out and followed him here. For Tony it was like something out of a bizarre dream, impossible, illogical, and utterly wrong. The man looks exactly like Steve. Same strong build, same blonde hair, even wearing the same outfit right down to the last stitch. The only difference was in the eyes, same clear blue, but calculating and cold as the deepest abyss. If eyes truly were a window to the soul, then this was window was showing a soul as dark and empty as the night sky.

Tony is the first to recover, and break the silence, as he struggles to put his thoughts in some form of order." Okay you got me ...care to explain what is going on here? Is this some kind of clone ? An illusion? A wanna be Cap impersonator?" He turns to Steve who is still in shock, staring rigidly at his doppelganger.," Don't tell me this is some long list twin brother I don't know about?"

The imposter or whoever, whatever, they are supposed to be, barks out a harsh laugh and shakes their head. Not exactly the reaction either of them were expecting. 

The other Cap 's eyes flicker briefly to Steve before focusing on Tony. "You know who I am. The whole world recognizes Captain America." Even the voice is similar to Steve's, only rougher and tinged 

" Yeah., and it's not you. It's scientifically impossible " 

" I thought the same thing once. When I first heard talk about other dimensions, world's across tine and space with alternate versions of ones self, I never believed it either." the man speaks almost reminiscently, before his lips twitch into a cold smile" and yet here we are . " 

"Not the weirdest thing I've heard, I'll give you that, but I'm still not entirely convinced. " Tony comments offhandedly. The thought of there being another Steve, this...phony, just felt wrong. His mind rebelled at the entire notion, even as his eyes were trying to convince him otherwise.

"Believe what you will, it doesn't change anything."

Tony sighs in an exaggerated fashion,  
"Look, whoever you are, how about you just get to the part where you tell us what you want. Is it world domination? That's always a classic." 

" In a sense, I suppose. I prefer to think of it as paving the way for a better world. " The fake Cap explains in the manner of one divulging a great secret," A world run by Hydra."

"Hydra? ." Steve whispers fiercely,  
managing to find his voice at last. He exchanges a glance with Tony, and the inventor raises one eyebrow. Apparently the day was just going to be full of surprises, judging from this new and unexpected turn of events. 

"Under Hydra's control we can eliminate those without purpose. All brought together under a common leadership."

"Looks like some things never change."  
Steve mutters under his breath, before looking up and raising his voice to speak directly to his double "Still spewing the same Hydra lies and delusions I see. When are you going to learn you'll never succeed. You might as well just give it up " 

" So, it's true. You are every bit as self righteous and hopelessly virtuous as I've heard. " the Hydra commander sneers, " tell me, how is the drug the research team injected you with working? Thanks to me, Hydra has their own super soldier now, along with knowing all of your weaknesses. "

"Only a fool would team up with the likes of Hydra."

" Yeah, and I wouldn't go patting yourself on the back just yet, " Tony puts in, before the Hydra solider can even draw breath, " you may or may not be a super soldier but you wouldn't stand a chance against the real Cap even on a bad day. I'd like to see you try"

Steve makes a noise of protest, a note if warning in his voice "Tony.... "

Far from sounding offended, the fake Cap barks out a another one of his harsh laughs, "I see some things never change. " suddenly as if a switch had been flipped of a switch, the Hydra soldier is all business again, " unfortunately there are other matters to that I must attend to today. We will continue our little chat in a few days. " The cold blue eyes linger on Tony before the man turns on his heel, taking his little posse of Hydra goons with him. 

"Are you trying to get us killed?" Steve hisses the second their jailers are out of sight.

"What?"

"We are in no position to be picking fights "

"As I said earlier, you could take him. " Tony insists stubbornly, "there is no way that second rate phony could beat you. "

"In a fair fight, maybe not. But in case you have forgotten I can barely even stand right now. " 

" ..Right. " Tony says dejectedly, because in the heat of the moment he had completely forgotten about that . The entire world was so used to Steve being infallible, that it is sometimes hard to see him otherwise," you are very heavy by the way." Tony mutters as they carefully lower themselves to a sitting position. 

Steve fondly rolls his eyes, as he tries to settle himself into a comfortable position. ,"Our team will come for us " he tries to reassure, " we just need to keep our guard up, and hold tight till then "

"Yeah, I guess you're right " 

..............................

Time passes sluggishly with nothing to do other then sit and wait or pace around. The drugs finally wore off the next day, but now there are more guards posted to keep watch, each one wielding a gun of some sorts. 

True to his word the Hydra commander was back again two days later , right as the two Avengers had settled down to make meal of their meager rations. 

"Stark, you are coming with me. "You can either walk out or I will drag you out. Your choice. " Tony glances at Steve and gives a small shrug. 

"All right, no need to get pushy. " Tony tries to feign indifference, strolling over with an exaggerated air. Thing is, he had some idea of what to expect. And it does absolutely nothing to push down the apprehension threatening to overwhelm him. 

A brisk two minute walk leads past several research rooons, and through a couple corridors, until they come to their destination. A plain metal door reads "medical" and Tony's earlier misgivings only increase tenfold. A nudge from behind sends him off balance and he just barely manages to avoid crashing against the door. 

Inside the room looks like pretty much any medical facility Tony had ever had the misfortune of being admitted to. Clean, sterilized, with an assortment of tools that he could guess neither the name nor function of. And sitting dead center was a chair that looked like it came straight out of a medieval torture chamber, complete with straps and everything. A computer console is connected off to the side, and it doesn't take a genius to figure out that it doesn't control the massage setting. 

"Go ahead have a seat, make yourself comfortable. " the Hydra commander is grinning at him with a predatory smile, all sharp teeth and intent to kill. 

"No, I'm good. I think I'll just stand. "

The change in demeanor is instantaneous, the soldiers face contorts in fury and before Tony even has a chance to react, the soldier has him by the arm and roughly forces into the chair. "I told you to have a seat. " the man snarls furiously, eyes wild. Tony begins to get the sinking suspicion that the man might be completely insane. 

Straps lock over his wrist, and across his chest with a final sounding click, almost as soon as he sits down. Definitely not a good sign. 

A couple minutes pass, before the man is able to get hold of his temper. Cold blue eyes reagard him steadily, and not for the first time, with an intentness that is disconcerting. There is madness in those eyes, yes, but also something else he can't quite put his finger on. 

"How did you happen to come to this dimension, anyway? "Tony asks, eventually unable to keep silent any longer, as well as being genuinely curious. After all, it wasn't like he was going anywhere. 

" Hydra scientists believe I was pulled through of rift in the fabric of reality. " the man suddenly has his back turned toward him, rummaging around in one of the many medical cabinets, " For days I lurked in the shadows, lost and waiting. Uncertain. Then, to my surprise I found Hydra was flourishing here. "

"And you went straight to them.?" 

"Of course. It may not be the exact Hydra of my dimension, but the end goal remains unchanged, " the soldier turns his head to glance at him over their shoulder, " we are always looking for people with unusual gifts or talents to further our cause. those who serve our cause will be well rewarded."

"A job offer, how flattering." he puts as much sarcasm as he can into the remark. 

"So I take it as a no then? You aren't going to join willingly?"

"Not a chance. ", he says defiantly, pausing as another thought occurs to him, " wait a minute though, you want me for my brains...typical. But what do you want Steve for? Because as you put it, Hydra has a super soldier now. "

The man says nothing for a long while, seemingly concentrating on something in his hand. Tony tries to crane his neck see what it is, but can't make it out from behind the soldiers massive bulk. 

"You know he will die before he joins Hydra. " Tony says flatly. 

" Yes. The super soldier serum may be too valuable an asset to let go to waste, but we don't need his mind to be intact.... " The man turns around holding a syringe, cold smile plastered on his face once more, " I believe you have met the Winter Soldier once or twice. An old friend of his in fact, or so I'm told. " The implication is clear, and Tony tries not to think about it too much. 

" Yeah. And what about the Avengers? Have you heard of them? Because if anything happens to either of us I think you'll find the name very apt. " it's pathetic he knows. A last ditch effort at intimidation. He isn't Thor, or Hulk, or even Steve, and but it's the best he can do. 

"I've heard talk of them"  
The imposter says dismissively, leaning close, reducing their voice to a hoarse whisper, " You remind me of one I knew from my own dimension... Always putting on a fake face , pretending to be stronger then you really are, trying to hide how...fragile you really are. " at this the impostor taps hid arc reactor with a long finger. It takes all his will power not to flinch at the contact, " Just know that in the end I will get what I want sooner or later. "

"You think so?"

"I know so. I will break you eventually, in one way or another" the man's face is mere inches away from his own, and he finally is able to recognize that seemingly elusive emotion he had caught a glimpse of earlier. An emotion he had seen in the eyes of Steve many times before, but had never expected to see, and didn't belong on, the face of this villain. 

Lust. 

Tony feels his blood run cold. He tries to convince himself he imagined it, but knows what he saw clear as day. He barely registers that the man was starting to speak again. 

"This syringe contains formula from one of the failed attempts at replicating the super soldier serum. " the man pauses, holding the needle up as if for the scientist's approval, " while they may have not succeeding in recreating the serum, it wasn't a total loss. This formula has proven very effective in getting answers we needed. It inflicts almost unbearable pain. The last recipient, if I remember correctly, described it as every cell in their body was on fire. "

Tony is silent. Not saying anything. Not giving anything way. Trying to steel himself. He knew eventually something like thus was going to happen, he can do this..

"So I'm asking you one last time, join Hydra or suffer the consequences... What's it going to be?"

"Is there a third option? "

The man smiles sinisterly "Have it your way then. "

......................

Tony is barely conscious by the time a pair of Hydra half carry, half drag him back to his cell and unceremoniously deposit him on the cold stone floor. It takes all his effort not to cry out at the assault on his already agonized flesh, and the mechanic curls into himself as if that will hold the pain back. 

"Tony! ", Steve shouts out in concern, and the soldier is by his side almost as soon as he hits the ground. Steve reaches out to lay a comforting hand on his shoulder. It feels like he has been branded by a hot iron and he instantly curls in on himself with a small hiss.

"Tony... are you okay?" Steve looks so concerned, unusually hesitant with his hand suspended halfway between them.

"It's okay. I'm fine. " Tony let's out a shaky breath, gingerly pushing himself into a sitting position. The pain is fading slowly, but the memory of it is still fresh in his mind, " You just surprised me that's all. "

Steve nods, regarding him with a silent brooding look that usually means a lecture is coming on, " You really expect me to believe that? What...what did they do to you?"

"Yeah. It's over, and I rather not talk about it. But I'm fine. They don't call me invincible for nothing after all"

Steve looks far from impressed, like he wants to press the subject but knows it won't do any good, " They do? Who calls you that? 

Tony pointedly ignores the question, deciding to go for a more earnest approach, " I've been through worse Cap. It's nothing that will break me. " Tony adds, waving a hand dismissively. 

Steve's brows furrow and he opens his mouth to say something, but Tony is already plowing on ahead " Look I'm really tired and would just like to try to get some sleep before Captain Psycho shows up again." 

Worry is still written plainly on the soldiers face, though he seems willing to let it go for the time being "All right. I suppose we better save up our strength if we want o get out of here. Night, Tony. "

Tony grunts in response, shifting onto his side, with his back facing the other man. He closes his eyes, fervently wishing for sleep to take him quickly,  
....only to snap his eyes open when he feels himself pulled backward by a pair of very muscular arms. 

"Seriously Steve? Do I look like a teddy bear to you?" Tony grouches, from his new position, back pushed up against the super solidiers broad chest, If you want one that badly I'll buy you one. ..Steve? "

The only response is a couple of soft snores which Tony suspects is treachery. No one fell asleep that quickly. 

"Let go Cap, I'm not in the mood. " Steve doesn't budge. Either he truly is asleep or he is just really dedicated to his charade. Tony struggles to get free for a couple seconds before resigning himself to his fate with a small sigh. He truly is dead tired, not to mention sore. And despite his earlier grousing, it honestly isn't so bad. Kind if nice actually.

He feels warm, secure in the embrace of Steve's arms, pushed up against his lover's solid comforting presence. There is a certain comfort in knowing that, no matter what gets thrown their way, they are in this together. As he closes his eyes, he can almost pretend he is home, back at the tower, and forget about their current circumstances. 

Against all odds, Tony manages to fall asleep within minutes. In the dark confines of their cell, a small, private smile flickers briefly across the soldier's face, before they too are whisked away by dreams. 

.......................

A few days pass and Tony finds himself once again in Captain Psycho's ( one the many names he had for the fake cap ) little office of torture. Steve had tried to fight the man when he came, offering to take Tony's place instead in typical, dramatic, Captain America fashion. The Hydra soldier merely laughed before ordering one if the guards to shoot him with some sort of stun gun. 

Tony never considered himself a vengeful or violent man. But at that moment, watching Steve thrash around in agony, he would have been all too happy to wipe the smirk off the impostors face with an iron fist. 

Unfortunately his armor is out of reach, probably hundreds, if not thousands of miles away. While it is true that he is not nearly as helpless as he once was, he has no doubts about the outcome of picking a fight under the current circumstances. He was a realist not an optimist. 

"I don't understand why you resist. You'd be a valuable asset to Hydra. " the man practically purrs, leering at him in a way that makes his skin crawl. ," with your intelligence and my strength we can overthrow the current leader, and make Hydra stronger then ever. You'd be in control, and finally able to order the world how you see fit.. " the man trails off, voice dripping to an enticing whisper.

Tony's response is quick and to the point, "Sorry, but I don't make deals with villains, or maniacs. And since you happen to be both-"

"Who are you to judge Stark?," the soldier sneers, cutting off mid sentence, " I've learned all there is to know about you. I've heard all the destruction you have wrought on this world. There is enough blood on your hands to rival all of Hydra."

Tony just stays silent, letting the words wash over him. It is true. He is unable to deny or justify these claims. The fake cap seizes the opening, clearly aware he found a sore point. 

"And no matter how hard you try or what you do you will never be able to wash it away. " the man goes on, sounding like an echo of the dark thoughts that occasionally plagued his own mind., " you are too far past redemption to ever make it right in the eyes of the wirld. " 

"That might be true ." Tony agrees quietly, this was an old guilt he knew he'd carry with him until the end of his days. In the past he often felt like he was drowning in it, but with help from a certain red, white, and blue someone, he mostly managed to stay afloat ", still I'm never going to stop trying to fix it . "

"You are just as delusional as your companion "

"What can I say, he must have rubbed off on me," Tony shrugs, trying for nonchalance , " It's a shame really."

"Hmm, well that won't be something you have to worry much longer. Within the end of the month, he will be just another mindless pawn for Hydra. " the man pauses looking at him intently as is to gauge his react" did you know there was one like you in my dimension too? "

"Please don't tell me he works for Hammer Tech." 

"No. Before I was pulled into your dimension the Stark of my world was left in a coma. "

"Not sure if that's better or worse. "

"There was a war in my dimension, and Stark was at the forefront . The war succeeded in pitting you so called heroes against one another, as well as pitting humans against mutants. "

"I'm going to go out on a limb here and say you had something to do with it." 

"Stark was so plagued by guilt and the hauntings of his past mistakes that it was child's play to manipulate him. He orchestrated his own downfall, I merely gave him the push he needed. I hated him and yet was drawn tob him at the same time. "

" If you have nothing important to say can you just get it over with? " Tony says growing weary of this conversation. It was too much, too fast. He still wasn't sure he entirely believed, didn't want to think of the possible implications it could bring.

"It doesn't have to be this way you know. Give up your foolish quest at redemption anf work with me." the bigger man reaches out a massive hand to gently brush against his cheek, causing Tony to flinch backward as if stung.

The other man merely smiles at him in a vile imitation of Steve's smile. " So I'll ask again, will you submit?" 

"Not a chance " 

"How disappointing. " the soldier remarks, without sounding dissapointed at all. It's obvious to both of them this has now become a game, precariously balanced between sadism and some demented form of lust. A game of cat and mouse with the captain holding all the cards.

Turning to the computer console, the man's large fingers glide confidently across the key pad. The bands around his wrist tighten, which does nothing to ease his apprehension. A minute or so passes and the man is standing behind him, one finger poised above a switch, as he makes one last attempt at appeal. 

" Don't forget, the choice is yours. You can choose to stop this whenever you want. "

Tony shakes his head numbly, doing his best to appear strong and composed. He has a distinct feeling it falls flat. Iron Man may be invincible, made of metal, but Tony Stark wasn't. 

In many ways, fear is like a virus. It starts small, but given time it will infect your entire being if you don't control it. And in the back of Tony's mind the fear is already there, festering , threatening to grow into something bigger. 

Then the commander flips the switch, and there is nothing but pain, white hot and excruciating. Dozens of volts of electricity flow from the metal bands and through his entire being. He is twitching convulsively and for a minute he thinks the pain is going to stop his heart. 

Before it suddenly clicks off.

"Had enough?" Tony barely hears or acknowledges the question, doesn't answer. Apparently the man decides to takes it as a no because he flips the switch once more. 

Tony feels himself slipping into unconsciousness once again by the time it's all over . This time the Hydra himself takes Tony back to the cell with a gentleness that he didn't believe possible. The last thing he is aware of before falling completely into unconsciousness is the Hydra Comnander's face looking at him with something like desire.

*"*****************"""

The next couple weeks pass in a haze, a mix of pain and fear which gives him a feeling not unlike vertigo. Through it all he tries to maintain the charade of being strong and breakable, even as the cracks begin to show.

The Hydra Captain visits infrequently, busy with other responsibilities more often then not. The days Tony spends away in the cell are shadowed by the thought of when or what the Hydra solider was going to do next. At each encounter the gaps in the man's sanity and reason begin showing more clearly then ever.

One minute the man is purring compliments, coaxing gentle persuasions; the next he is scowling, dark with fury, degrading and hissing out threats. Occasionally the captain made good on these threats. 

"You brought this on yourself. " the man admonished once, as Tony clutched his wrist to his chest, face pale from pain and shock. The soldier had gotten a little to intense when he had grabbed the inventor by his wrist, snapping it like a twig.

But more often then not he plays mindgames. Which to Tony is much, much worse.

Then there is the man's seeming infatuation with him. The man is always close, way too close. Pressing against him, dwarfing him, making him feel small and weak with their imposing physical presence. So unlike Steve, who's strength was a warm fire and shelter all in one.

Each day chips away at the confidence he had taken so longer to build.( creating a literal suit of armor had somehow been easier..) The sinister voice reminds him of his past failings, spewing what Tony can only hope are lies as the man plays on his paranoia and deep hidden insecurities. 

"Why try to help a world that will never see anything other then your past mistakes? " the man whispers once, so close that Tony can feel hot breath against his ear," Hydra values men with the talent and ambition to be able to make hard choices." 

All off this wasmade worse by the fact that this imposter, like a demon in human flesh, was wearing Steve's face. In his mind and heart he knows Steve loves him and would never say such things, but seeing and believing often go hand in hand. It's a hard thing to shake. 

Sometimes he feels the only thing that is keeping him grounded was Steve. His Steve. Through it all Steve has been a whole one man army of support, with strength enough to spare for both of them. Steve who has seen him at his weakest and worst and never turned away. 

For a while he feels as if he can handle it. That the two of them will be able to weather this storm together.

Until one day he is led back to a different cell. 

Its modern, hi-tech(by Hydra's standards), with some form of electro static force fields in favor of steel bars, and most notably... without any sign of his favorite super soldier. His mind goes numb, he can't move, not until the Hydra soldier shoves him roughly from behind. He barely even notices when his knees hit the floor. His mind desperately tries to come up with a reasonable explanation, but is unable to do so.

Too late. They were too late. 

" What? Are you not happy with out new luxury' suites? " the sound of the familiar teasing voice instantly has has him instantly back on his feet,.," I thought you'd see it as an improvement, considering how much you complained about our previous lodgings." Steve adds, arms folded and smirking at him from one of the adjourning cells. 

Oh.

Turns out the solider had simply been laying on the cot, out of sight at the time. Tony smiles back sheepishly because he may have overreacted. Just a bit. Luckily no one else was around to see it 

"The only thing worse then sleeping on the cold damp floor was listening to you snoring." he snarks, feeling his mood lift slightly before another realization sends it plummeting just as quickly.

The yellow cell barrier that stands between them presented a completely new set of problems.

" We are going to get through this Tony." Steve assures sounding confident as if he had watched the future play out before his eyes. Both are standing as close to one another as they can get with the forcefield between them. It is unpleasantly reminiscent of the time Tony had been forced to stay in an alternate dimension. They could see and hear each other, but were unable to touch. 

"Right..." he mutters averting his eyes to stare at the floor.

" We have the best team anyone could ask for. Our friends won't stop looking for us."

"Unless they think we're dead. " Tony deadpans, another throwback to his time in that alternate dimension.

"You know they won't give up on us that easily. We've been through worse before. "

"Steve..," he sighs, runs a hand wearily across his face, " do you remember when I had to stay in that pocket dimension?"

"Yes", Steve's brows furrow in confusion," how could I forget. I may be old, but my memory is just fine" 

"Remember when everyone thought I was dead?"

"Tony I, - we-

"That's not what I was meaning.", he cuts the soldier off with a wave of his hand," look, you did the right thing. Sooner or later you woud have to accept it. And sooner or later they will too. "

Steve's frown deepens even more," How long have we been here?" 

Tony shrugs, noncommittally " I lost count after two weeks." 

" You sure you are okay?" Steve asks after a significant pause , "you've been awfully quiet."

"You mean considering that we have no idea where we are and are imprisoned in a Hydra facility run by your evil twin?"

"Yeah, considering all that. " Steve says, voice dry as the desert. He could match the inventor snark for snark any day of the week and then some.

"Well, If you consider all that... couldn't be better. "

"I'm not blind, Tony." Steve begins, rushing on before Tony can come up with a smart remark, " And I'm not stupid. I can see that you are in pain...your wrist. And more then that, I can tell something is bothering you. But as usual you are trying to hide it. "

"I'm not.. " Steve's glare cuts him off, as efficient as any gag. Tony takes a deep breath, tries to collect his thoughts, " Look Cap,...there's nothing either of us can do other then wait it out. You said so yourself. " he adds knowing how much Steve hated it when his own words were used against him. Especially when they were true.

Steve's scowl speaks more then words ever could, but he gives terse nod," Just be sure to keep your guard up. ," He pauses, fixing Tony with a significant glance," We are going to get through this . " The same words from earlier, repeated like a mantra. 

Tony can only hope it's true.

........…....................…

The inventor finds himself apprehensive, as he once again at the mercy of the Hydra commander. It's not the usual adrenaline rush he gets when he is about to do something reckless that Steve will later scold him for. He would without hesitation, fly through a barrage of missiles, laugh in the face of the red skull or make the sacrifice play, but this..this is something different. While the Hydra Captain had never exactly been one for pleasant chat, he can tell this is going to be more then one of their little chats. There is something off and alarmingly different this time. For starters the man doesn't bother strapping him down (not that he ever really needed to), but more then that, it's almost as if the air is charged with tension. Like the calm before a storm, as if the world was waiting for something to happen. 

It starts with the typical demands and attempts at persuading him to join Hydra, though these feel more like empty words then anything else, merely buying time. Through it all the man is carefully neutral, the kind of neutral that is usually a mask for some strong and undesired show of emotion. 

"You do remind of the Stark from my world and yet.."the commander is staring at him with an unreadable expression, pacing restlessly.

Tony is silent, tense. Alarm bells are going off in his head, a deafening cacophony, but for what he doesn't know. 

"You are less embittered by the world, malleable...I have come to see what the Captain sees in you. ," the man pauses still staring at him with the same unreadable expression," You and I have more in common then you think. More in common then you and that super solider body guard of yours. " 

" You and I have nothing in common.", the scientist manages to choke out, feeling his blood turn to ice. The man has been subtlety stalking closer their entire conversation.

" I guess we'll just have to see about that."

Tony doesn't have time to react before the man lunges forward and he finds himself helpless, pushed against the back of the chair. The man's mouth is pushed against his own forcefully, tongue demanding and eventually receiving entrance. Tony is squirming, trying to pull back, but the commander is practically on top off him, dwarfing him with their superior size and strength. 

When man finally pulls away, Tony is gasping almost gagging from a mix of repulsion and fear. He barely has a chance to get a breath in before the commander is on him again, kissing , biting at his neck. Large hands thread through his hair, pulling painfully. 

They remain entangled in a mess of fear, and raging lust. There is no passion, no love. It is wrong, so wrong, and Tony is not sure if there is anyway of ever making it right.

By the time it's over, Tony is trembling, gasping, and slumped like a puppet that had it's strings cut. He spits over the side of the chair, trying to get the vile taste out of his mouth, while wishing that memories were just as easily expelled.

"I won't take no for an answer, so you might as well make it easy on yourself. " The commander whispers one last parting shot before the guards step inside to lead him back to his cell. Tony stumbles, feeling himself oddly detached from the rest of the world as his mind struggles to process everything.

From behind, the man's condescending laughter follows him out the door and down the hall.

..............................

Tony is sick

Not in the physical sense, on the outside he is basically fine, with only the bruises on his wrists to show for it. On the inside, its a completely different story. His mind is a tumultuous whirlwind , emotions spinning round and round in a cycle of shame, anger, fear, and something close to despair.

Tony is sitting in a corner, knees pulled up to his chest, staring blandly at the cell floor. He hasn't moved from this position since yesterday 

"Tony..." 

Despite the obvious worry in the soldier's tone, he can't even bring himself to look at Steve. Strong, perfect, amazing, Steve. Steve who would have been stronger, would have been able to resist. Logically he knows it's irrational, he loves Steve with every ounce of his being, but the memory of the other man pressing against him, tasting him is still too fresh. Tony has rarely felt more unworthy of Steve's love then he does right now. 

"Tony." the solider presses again, persistent as always. The man is as close as he can get, mere inches from touching the barrier between them," Tony..talk to me."

He craves Steve's touch, needs it almost as much as he needs oxygen, but the solider seems as distant as if he is on the other side of the world.

"Yeah, Cap?" the genius finally relents, speaking in a subdued voice without even looking in the soldier's direction.

"What happened?" 

There is a significant pause, the silence dragging on for so long that it's almost suffocating. Eventually the genius sighs wearily, before settling on a single word.

"Nothing."

It's a lie and they both know it.

.....,................

As best as they could judge it was about a month into their capture, when fate finally decided to smiled down upon them.

The two Avengers are awoken by the sound of many overlapping voices, and panicked footsteps. The whole facility is throbbing with activity, Hydra soldiers gearing up, shouting orders and running pell mell in every direction. It was chaos at its finest.

And in the midst of it all, the Hyrda commander is stalking towards them, standing out like a shark in a sea of guppies. He makes his way to a console located at the cell's entrance, and furiously types something on the keypad. A couple seconds later the cell door fades into nothingness.

" This is your last change to come willingly. " the Hydra agent hisses angrily, stalking forward till he is right up in Tony's face. He is breathing heavily, eyes wild and hair all a mess. Despite everything a ghost of a smirk manages to creep its way across the inventors face. He has a fairly good idea who is behind this.

"What, no small talk today? Judging by the way your Hydra goon squad is running around all over the place, I'd say it looks like it's going to be a bad in the office for y-

Without any sign or warning, the Hydra captain pulls back and sucker punches the inventor in the chin with enough force to knock him to the floor. The mechanic is disoriented, vision flickering in and the overpowering coppery taste of blood pooling in his mouth. 

"Tony!" Steve calls out in concern as he furiously, heedless of his own danger throws a punch at the force field separating them. It flickers but holds steady, and the ensuing surge knocks the solider backwards to land heavily on his back. 

"How about you come over here and fight someone more your size. Or are you too cowardly on equal terms? " Steve spits, along with a globule of blood. Even weak, and clearly in pain he still has strength to spare. He pushes himself to a crouching position as both soldiers glare at each other, before an ill boding smile crosses the Hydra soldiers face. 

"You truly love him, don't you? " it's less a question and more a statement of a fact.", Tony tries to crawl away, but the Hydra soldier grabs him by the hem of his shirt and using their bulk to pin the smaller man against the wall. A gloved hand lifts his chin and almost gently wipes away the blood trailing from the corner of his mouth, before turning to stare at Steve over their shoulder. " Do you still think you'll love him when he betrays you? Turns against you?"

"I don't know what went wrong in your dimension, but I know Tony would never do that. " Steve defiantly, faith as unwavering as always. 

" I suppose there is a certain beauty in damaged things. " the imposter continues as if he didn't hear anything, dark eyes staring unfocusedly at what Tony couldn't even begin to guess at" But sooner or later they always end up breaking, just like both of you will." The gloved hand is back once more caressing Tony's cheek and sending an involuntary shudder through the genius's very soul.

From somewhere in the facility there is a distant crash, along with what sounds like shouts. The Hydra solider either ignores it or is too occupied to notice. 

" I'm going to make you mine, whether you like it or not " The man hisses, and Tony feels his blood run cold at the tone, and even though it's futile he makes one more desperate struggle to get free. He is panicking now, there is no other word for it, thrashing around and making no attempt to hide it. All in vain. 

The Hydra soldier pays him no mind, simply going about as if he merely doing some mundane task like reading the morning paper. He grabs the inventors wrists in a steel grip and turns him around so that his face is pressed up against the wall. 

"Even though I may lose this battle, I'm still going to enjoy breaking you while I have the chance. " he breathes right up against Tony's ear, teeth lightly grazing the sensitive flesh, " You could have made this easy on yourself you know. I offered you partnership, and yet you scorned me at every turn. "

From somewhere behind them, Steve makes one last desperate attempt at taking down the force field. This time when he is knocked back, he doesn't get up.

"You really would have made a good Hydra recruit" , the voice, lusty full of regrets at unfilled dark desires is at his ear once more " perhaps some day our paths will cross again. " The commander is pushed up against him again, once more, gloved hand trailing lower.. 

At almost the exact same instant another crash is heard, closer, and followed by unmistakable roar of everyone's favorite green giant. In that moment Tony thinks it's one of the most beautiful sounds he has ever heard. The Hydra Cap curses and forfeits his hold, sending the inventor sliding to the floor, as he runs out of the cell and down the hall, disappearing into the panicked crowd of Hydra agents. Apparently good help was hard to find for super villains.

A few moments pass and the green giant is there in all his glory. Hulk snorts , massive brows furrowed as he peers down at the prone inventor.

"What happened to you? " 

Tony ignores the question and wipes the blood off the corner of his mouth before offering a lopsided grin,"I can't tell you how glad I am to see you, Big Guy." he shakily pushes himself to his feet, feeling stiff but none the worse for wear. His jaw smarts, and he knows it is going to leave a bruise , but he doesn't really care . In this moment he is so giddy that he could have practically kissed the Hulk. 

" Now how about you bust the lock on Cap's cell so we can get out of here." Tony suggests, falling instinctively into his role as leader. The immediate vicinity is clear, and those few Hydra troops which had stayed behind, ran off at the sight of the Hulk. The rest of his team were,no doubt, making quick work of the rest.

"Done." Hulk snarls , effortlessly smashing the cell control panel with one ham sized fist. 

"Good to see you Hulk." Cap is walking stiffly, still a bit numb from trying to take out the force field. Tony meets him half way, and the soldier claps a heavy hand on the inventors shoulder, like it was meant to be there. 

"Are you all right?" Steve is leaning closer, speaking in a quiet tone so as not to be overheard.

The inventor doesn't answer right away, thoughtfully mulling it over it over a bit "Yeah, I'm..fine." 

"You're welcome by the way." Hulk grunts , causing the two men to whip around, at the sound of his voice. They had almost forgotten him. The Hulk regards them with a snort and bored expression

"How did you find us?" Tony asks, not only to hide his embarrassment, but also because he was genuinely curious .

"Falcon found you. I just came along for the smashing." Short and to the point. Obviously it would be up to another team member to fill them in on all the small details

"Well we are very glad of that. We knew that we could count on you to find us."Cap says diplomatically , falling silent with a significant pause. The soldier elbows Tony in the side when the inventor misses his cue.

"Hey! what was that for?" the inventor whines shooting the other man a half heated glare," I'm injured here."

"It can't be too bad if you are still able to run that mouth of yours.", Natasha points out calmly, suddenly right among them as if she had melted straight out of the shadows. The spy's lips are quirked in one of her rare genuine smiles. " you wouldn't last five minutes on stealth mission."

"Talk too much." Hulk grunts in agreement. 

"Even Thor would last longer." 

Tony scowls and folds his arms, until Steve nudges him, with one of his playful smirks on his face, "They aren't wrong, you know."

Tony gapes at the soldier, shooting him an absolutely scandalized look," You are supposed to be on my side ."

"I don't argue with facts." The solider has his arms folded, smirking with obvious amusement at having pushed one of the scientist's buttons. 

Tony takes a couple steps forward and points one finger right up in the irritating, grinning face " You want some facts I-

A small cough stops him mid rant and he turns to look at Natasha like a guilty child caught with their hand in the cookie jar. Even Steve had the grace to look slightly ashamed. But only just. They were both giddy, happy to be in one another's presence, and that they had gotten out of that nightmare together. 

"Right.", Natasha says dryly, " anytime you two want to leave, the rest of the team is waiting on the quinjet." She stalks off without even checking to see if they follow. Hulk lumbers off a few paces behind her, leaving them both to stare at each other uncertainly. Naturally Tony is the first to break the silence 

"We will continue this discussion at a later time. Don't think you've won." Tony warns.

"Never even crossed my mind." Steve smirks, as side by side they hurry to catch up with rest of the team. 

.....,........................

"There is no sign of him anywhere. I looked through encrypted Hydra files, SHEILD database, even SWORD. It's like he doesn't even exist. "

Almost two months have passed since Steve and Tony had been rescued from Hydra's clutches, and the two men are currently in the entertainment room sitting on the bar stool and having a nice drink. Until the spy came to bring them the bad news that is. 

"Perhaps he got pulled back into his own dimension." Steve comments thoughtfully, with a small glance at Tony. 

"Perhaps." 

"Thanks for looking anyway, Widow. We appreciate it.." Steve says, speaking for the both of them. Tony never once looked in her direction, appearing to be lost in thought, looking at the bottom of drink.

Natasha nods," If I find anything I'll be sure to let you know." 

Natasha exits, and Steve waits till she is out of sight before he cautiously turns to the other man, "Something on your mind?" 

While the physical wounds of their imprisonment were quick to heal, nothing that rest, a hot shower and decent meal wouldn't fix, the mental scars were a little more difficult. It was never linear, there were good days and bad days. No on knew exactly what had happened between Tony and the Hydra commander, and for his part the genius seemed adamant that no one ever would. Some things were best kept secret. 

Fortunately for the time being it seemed as if the bad days were far behind them, nothing but a distant memory. 

"I always have something on my mind, Cap. Lots of things" Tony grins easily, taking a long sip of his drink," it's what separates genius from you regular folks. No offense" he adds a couple seconds later.

Steve rolls his eyes, but can't stop a small smile from twitching at his lips. "New upgrade to your suit?"

"Something like that."

In the two months since their rescue, life at Avengers Tower had for the most part returned to back to normal. Or whatever counted for normal, when you threw a mismatched assortment of superhero's under one roof.

Which was too say, the term normal was thrown around very loosely.

"Hey, Cap?"

"Yeah"

"You ever think about the possibility of there being even more then just these two dimensions?"

"Never really considered it.", the soldier's lips purse together in his trademark frown," why?"

"Well only stop to consider what could get accomplished, if there was more then one of me..." Tony trails off thoughtfully.

"No." Steve cuts out, flatly, instantly.

"Hey, just cause the alternate version of you was a psychopath doesn't mean mine will be."

Steve let's out an exasperated sigh, and buries his face in his hands, "Do you even hear the words that come out of your own mouth?"

"I'm being serious , Steve. Just think about the possibilities...." The genius is pleading, desperate to make the solider see the"logic" of his plan," maybe there is even another decent version of you somewhere, you guys could compare biceps or whatever. Now all we need is way to-" 

"Steve reaches forward and grabs the other man by the hem of his shirt, effectively silencing him with a kiss that has leaves the genius sputtering indignantly, before eventually melting into it, " Enough already. Trust me when I say one Tony Stark is more then enough." he whispers when they break off. 

"That was a cheap shot, you know" Tony complains without sounding particularly annoyed. 

Steve just laughs before draining the rest of his drink with a beaming smile. Happy to be back at the tower, and to share these casual, everday moments with oeach other .

" Also I can't tell if that was supposed to be an insult or compliment" Tony asks, skeptically arching a brow.

"You're the genius, you'll figure it out."

"Yeah..." he finishes his drink as well, thrumming his fingers across the bar top for a couple moments before perking up as he appears to remember something," now as I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted..To make an inter dimensional teleported I'd first need..."

Steve reaches across the bar and pours himself another drink, mourning not for the first time his inability to get drunk. In this instance he was half determined to give it a shot anyway.

But no, as Tony prattles on, with that excited, almost feverish glint in his eyes, Steve concludes that it could be worse. They were made for each other. For better or worse, and together there was almost nothing that they were unable to overcome.

**Author's Note:**

> Constrict criticism always appreciated.


End file.
